Pages

Friday, December 30, 2016

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to and encouraged our community quilting efforts in 2016.

Our community quilting activities continue to go from strength to strength - we don't set targets for the number of quilts we make to donate to various community causes, but we do hold a monthly sewing day to give members access to our community fabric, thread and batting stash. The day is a welcome additional communal sewing opportunity each month.

This year our efforts were boosted by a generous donation of six quilts from a small home-based group that has folded, who passed on to us their six completed quilts for donation, and the remainder of their community stash. Another Fairholme friend who lives too far away to join us has made several tops that we have finished.

Our members are generous with their time, expertise and contributions from their own stashes, making for a very considerable donation to community. These quilts have all been completed and donated during 2016, most of them to groups who will distribute them to individual community members, and two were raffled to raise funds for community causes.

We donated two quilts to Quilts of Valour NSW, in addition to our established recipients, a local aged care centre, and (via Quilt NSW) foster children, Sydney Children's Hospital and the NSW Blankets of Love program.

There are 59 quilts here, but we know there were probably five or six more that were not photographed ... the making and the giving is the thing. And we know that a dozen or so are already in the making for next year.

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Each year we set a challenge to be revealed at our Christmas lunch. This year the challenge was to make a 10 1/2 inch star block (any star design) using the challenge and background fabric supplied, with any additional fabric each quilter chose to include. Thanks to everyone who made a block (or two) or plans to.

The blocks will be made into quilts for a community donation during 2017. Thirty four star blocks were delivered at the Christmas lunch, and we know that there are a few more to come, so there will be enough to make two community quilts.

In these photos, the blocks are untrimmed, and arranged randomly on a design wall - there's more work to do: layout? sashing? borders? quilting? binding? Plenty of fun!

The blue fabric was designated as the background, the print which includes blue and green elements, is the challenge fabric.

Viewer's Choice, voted by members at the lunch earlier in December, was this beauty made by Val.

Love the rebels, the non-conformers - surprisingly, there was only one ... so far!

Saturday, December 17, 2016

The International Quilt Study Centre and Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska has recently added Amish quiltsto its World Quilts initiative, aiming to offer a 'global perspective on quiltmaking'. The first part of the World Quilts project is on American Quilts. Both give a comprehensive, well illustrated insight into the development of the quilts historically, methods of quiltmaking in each tradition, and their place in the quilting world today.

The summer break might be a good opportunity to explore both, while you escape the heat.

Monday, December 12, 2016

Along with several thousand quilters from around the world, Janet signed up for the Splendid Sampler early this year, a little unsure of how she would keep up with two blocks each week, around all her other interests and commitments. She's chosen not to include a few of the blocks, but she is working through the others. There is a way to go, but like all the Samplers, Janet can work to her own timeframe - we haven't checked in for a while, so here is an end-of 2016 indication of her progress so far, and a preview of just how splendid Janet's quilt will be. Remember, each of the blocks is just 6 1/2 " - some of those pieces are very, very small!

A book of all the Splendid Sampler patterns, The Splendid Sampler: 100 Spectacular Blocks from a Community of Quilters, by the project coordinators Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson,is scheduled for publication by That Patchwork Place in April 2017

Friday, December 9, 2016

From reactions online, it looks like Pantone's 2017 Colour of the Year, Greenery, will be more

popular with quilters than the last couple of years' choices. Expect to see lots of Greenery in all sorts of products (indicting that the choice is made well in advance of its public announcement) during 2017.

The announcement page on the Pantone website includes a collection of colour schemes including Greenery - could be a useful starting point for quilts.'The PANTONE name is known worldwide as the standard language for accurate color communication, from designer to manufacturer to retailer to customer, across a variety of industries.'

Have you used hues similar to Greenery in your quilts, or have plans to? This 8" block was made in 2015 for the Sydney Modern Sewists and Quilters 2016 Group Quilt - the Mini Pearl Bracelets' print designed by Lizzy House for Andover Fabrics is pretty close to Greenery, as is the medium tone in the other green print.

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Our community quilts are a great opportunity to try out designs and fabrics beyond our personal stashes. Some of the unfinished community quilt business that will emerge complete sometime in 2017, at our final community sewing day for this year ...

Julie tried various layouts before settling on this one, for a nice calm mix of plaid and subtle botanic prints.

Susan split her nine patch blocks to insert diagonal sashing, producing a lattice effect. Pin basting on large tables with many hands is a key activity at our sewing days!

And a last look at the remaining baby quilts that have now been delivered to QuiltNSW's Blankets of Love program. Earlier in the year some were donated to Hornsby and Kuring-gai Hospital, and some to Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick.

Margaret W completed the centre from an Amitie Textilesblock of the month - gorgeous funky birds and flowers! Waiting to see what comes next ...

Susan M wasn't sure that her peacock wall hanging was 'okay', so she put it away for a while - she brought it out recently and decided that it was indeed, 'okay'. We hear that a peacock quilt is in the making ...

Julie's quilt for a little great-grandson will be a hit!

Sue C's version of Margaret Sampson George's 'Little Miss April' is nearly done - all the large hexagon's are done and being joined - look at all that colour! There is some very clever fussy cutting here.

Jo bought the feature fabric for this quilt quite some time ago. She changed the mix of solids first considered, and came up with this beauty.

Sunday, November 27, 2016

These three quilts are a small sample of the many quilts that Lynette has made for our community quilts program. She initiated our monthly community sewing days when she was the group's convenor in 2009, and remains a prolific contributor, including being skilled at completing quilts donated unfinished. Lynette did say that some of these have been some time in the making!

Muted pinks ...

... with something brighter on the reverse, only called that because it's the side with the maker's label.

A light and bright way to use simple squares ...

... with another striking backing.

Lynette loves thirties reproduction fabrics, and she likes making disappearing four patch blocks - so she will have enjoyed making this one. We didn't have any 30s fabrics in the community stash though ... where could these have come from?

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Two of the diversional therapists visited us on Monday morning to collect a large bundle of quilts made for for residents of the Donald Coburn Centre, a local dementia care centre as part of our community quilts program.

Here are just some of the quilts, and some of the people who made them. We enjoyed hearing how much our quilts are appreciated, how they are chosen individually for each resident, and how they are cared for. We love making them, so it's win-win!

You might recall that we made the Stained Glass quilt for the Donald Coburn Centre in 2014. The room used for chapel services for residents who cannot go out to the on-site chapel has recently been renovated, and the quilt is now hanging on a dark coloured wall, where it glows. It won an award at the Sydney Quilt Show in 2015. You can read the story of the making of the quilt here. Thank for the new photo Dani.